Dn. Mark enumerates the things you'll need to have ready to prepare a body for burial and explains what to expect when you encounter a dead body.

Pres. Maria Drossos, Director of Operations, describes what makes St. John the Compassionate Mission unique and different from the outside world.

Dn. Pawel, the prefect of the Lived Theology School Program, describes a typical/atypical lunch discussion at St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Dn. Theodore, the Director of Community of St. John the Compassionate Mission, explains that the real work of the mission comes from sitting and talking.

Fr. Roberto Ubertino, Founder and Executive Director of St. John the Compassionate Mission, demonstrates how part of the challenge and the beauty of living Orthodox mission is learning to accept the tenderness of God in our lives through the poor.

Fr. Roberto Ubertino, Founder and Executive Director of St. John the Compassionate Mission, reminds us that the Lord can be found in the crumbs of daily life.

Dn. Theodore shares from his many experiences at the mission about the topic of confession.

Fr. Nicolaie shares about the deep faith of a woman who helps at the mission.

Dn. Theodore tells about the new ministry that the mission provides.

Dn. Pawel, the prefect of the Lived Theology School Program, highlights connections between the stories of St. Mary of Egypt, the Annunciation, and our own.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, still open and serving the most vulnerable in Toronto. "Never has the church worldwide celebrated Pascha in this way, as we will this year. Abstinence not only from sin but from things that are good in themselves creates an empty space where God can act and surprise us. Could this not be the unexpected grace that is waiting for us in the empty tomb this year? What if the church is called this year to risk living something new, unfamiliar, even surprising?"

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, still open and serving the most vulnerable in Toronto. "The light is breaking through any human heart. Wherever the heart might be. It finds any crack to break through. There is so much light at the mission because the people who come here are so broken. So the light is visible in abundance. So is our dear community. Broken, so that the light of Pascha can be received through the cracks. Even if you want to hide it and contain it you cannot help but share it. So broken and imperfect we are."

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to excerpts from this past Sunday's bulletin at St. John the Compassionate Mission, serving the most vulnerable in Toronto.

Listen to stories from Brother Luke about people who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission in Toronto, Ontario.

"Today, a tear coming from a heart that battles heavy addictions is as rare as the myrrh from a streaming icon. We are blessed to see and witness both at the mission." Fr. Nicolaie

Meet three pilgrims who frequent St. John the Compassionate Mission; written by Brother Luke.

Listen to reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie for the Fifth Sunday of Luke.

A Prayer of Welcome on the Occassion of Someone New Coming to Live with Us, written by Brother Luke.

Stories shared by Brother Luke of St. John the Compassionate Mission.

Scarborough is the eastern part of Toronto where St. John the Compassionate has a church and a mission, called Good Neighbours.

Reflections from Fr. Nicolaie on the Sunday of the Grateful Leper.

Reflections written by Fr. Nicolaie about the gospel story of the father of the demon-possessed boy.

A handful of stories demonstrating how the repentance of the poor and downtrodden offers everyone a glimpse at the doors that lead to peace and life.

One might say that the beauty of the poor is hard to spot. But one would be wrong... because in truth, beauty is the hospitality of holiness for the human being. And where do we find this hospitality more present than in the body of the poor? Take a look into Christine's joyful and deep blue eyes, to see for yourself.

In today's generation, we do better to remain poor and in need of healing, but together in Christ; than to be healed alone and segregated through disunity. The community is learning this while walking with people like Judy.

Members of the community interact with the story of the Canaanite woman's faith, sharing their crumbs of wisdom.

A question recently posed at the mission caused Fr. Nicolaie to recall an experience he had when he was a teacher in Romania; and to reflect on how we each have our very own occasional "Emmaus" roads.

It is always better to give than to receive. When we try to help other people, we tend to forget their need to also be able to give.

A community member and Father Nicolaie each reflect on their experience with an aspect of the Gospel story of the young man who was possessed.

Healing happens within the community in different ways, and at times it is given to us to witness little miracles. In the end it heals us all, in our heart. And this is the real miracle.

Father Nicolae writes about how both the blind man in the Gospel reading, and Angela (a member of the community) have been changed by Christ to such an extent that they are nearly unrecognizable. This gives all of us hope of restoration through Christ.

Fr. Nicolaie tells how the faith of people who saw (and see) evil in the face of war is a faith that can guide those of us who live in a society tempted by the illusion of death.

Notes from the community that offer a peek at how the community members are seeing God at work in and through each other.

Father Nicolai reflects on recent hopeful learnings in the community.

In this Sunday's gospel, Jesus provides an abundance of life out of the abyss. The plentiful fish are a testimony of the authority that He has over the living and the dead, revealing that His mercy is deeper than the heart of the sea.

A discussion of Saturday's gospel leads community members to search for Resurrection.

Brother Luke shares three stories from community life.

Fr. Nicolaie invites us to join the community in looking into the eyes of the Theotokos from a humble position at the feet of her icon; and to live ascetically in a way that opens our own eyes to charity and mercy.

We can all appreciate a good bargain. But with our Pascha baskets a few weeks away, we should concentrate on the words of St John Chrysostom.

Martha begins a series addressing the topic of hospitality. Join her today for a look at feeding teenagers and the blessing we can find being hospitable to others.

Today, Martha shares why atmosphere is important to a meal, and why a picnic is a great option.

Martha offers a suggestions for planning Lenten menus and then compares a favorite, reliable cooking spoon to the saints from who she seeks intercessory prayers.

In this episode, Martha shares impressions of a memorable meal, a book about famous chefs, and Flannery O'Connor.

very sad to hear this but I'm grateful for their effort, and loved having them at XOXO to talk about their weird and special community #

feature package on new ways religious believers are using new technology, from Muslim VR simulators to Buddhist monks on TikTok #

for the tenth year, Laura E. Hall brings back her popup newsletter sending a gently spooky email for each day of October #

Chris Person compiled a list of active forums, grouped by subject area, hosted outside of the major platforms #

BRAIN scraped 16 years of Twitter to find the first people to post "RIP" when celebrities died, turning it into a morbid competition #

On the seventh Sunday of Pascha, we commemorate the holy God-bearing Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council.